Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province in Canada. Its population is about 510,000 and its capital is St. John's. It was an independent nation until it joined Canada in 1949
History of hockey in Newfoundland and Labrador
The St. John's Hockey Club held its first meetings in November 1895 and played the first documented ice hockey game in Newfoundland on the Quidi Vidi Lake in February 1896. Further games were played on the lake on December 29, 1896, and January 15, 1897. On February 11, there was a game between Newfoundlanders and Canadians. The team of native Newfoundlanders won the match 1-0. The first league started as the St. John's Amateur Hockey Association in February 1897. The organization was renamed the Newfoundland Hockey Association by 1898.
A game between alumni of Bishop's Field College and members of the Hockey Association (3-2) was held on March 9, 1897. Further games were staged in 1898 (January 13, Bank vs. City teams, February 24, Newfoundland 2 vs. Canada 1). The Prince of Wales Rink opened in St. John's in January 1899. The same month, the St. John's Senior Hockey League was formed with seven teams. On February 1, the first game was played at the rink. Canada defeated Newfoundland 2-1. The winner of the St. John's League was presented with the Hunter Hockey Cup starting in 1900. The Boyle Trophy (originally intended for an inter colonial championship) was awarded to the league winner from 1904 onward. The St. John's Intercollegiate Hockey League involving St. Bonaventure's College, Methodist College, and Bishop's Field College commenced in 1900. The league operated until 1962.
In 1901 the Newfoundland Hockey Association sent invitations for a series of hockey games in St. John's to nine Maritime towns. Truro, Nova Scotia accepted the invitation and sent a team to St. John's in February 1901 to face team of city league all-stars. Edward P. Morris (later Lord Baron) donated an intercolonial cup to be awarded to the winner of the series. Truro won the first series and returned home with the Morris Cup. A team from Newfoundland played a series of games in Nova Scotia in 1902. Truro defeated the Newfoundland team and retained the Morris Cup.
A team from North Sydney, Nova Scotia, came to play in St. John's in 1903. The home team won the first two games (by an unknown score and 8-1), but lost the third game 8-4. From March 3-8, 1905, Windsor, Nova Scotia, played three games in St. John's. They defeated a St. John's team 2-1 on March 3, and lost to them 3-2 on the 6th. On March 8, a Newfoundland team beat Windsor 2-1. The Charlottetown Abegweits played a three-game series in St. John's in 1907. They won it, two-games-to-one, beating Terra Nova 12-2 and 6-3 and falling to them, 3-0. The Windsor team returned to St. John's in 1911. The teams split the series, with St. John's winning the first game 5-4, Windsor taking the second 4-3, and the two sides tying 2-2 in the third.
In 1912, the Windsor Swastikas played a three-game series against St. John's, defeating the home team, two-games-to-one. The Halifax Wanderers visited St. John's in February 1913, and lost the series 2-1. St. John's won the first two games (2-1 in OT and 4-3), but lost the third 3-1. The Halifax Progressives, of the Nova Scotia Intermediate Hockey League, traveled to St. John's in late February 1914 for a three-game exhibition series against a City League All-Star team. They won the first game 4-3 and the second 5-2. The Newfoundland Regiment hockey team played a series of games in Windsor, Nova Scotia during their ten-week quarantine before sailing to England in April 1917.
The Bay Roberts Icicles became the first team to be formed outside of St. John's in 1906. Brigus had a team that defeated Bay Roberts 4-0 by 1908. A senior league was founded in Grand Falls in 1912. Leagues were also formed in Corner Brook (1925), Bell Island (1927), Buchans (1929), and Bishop's Falls (circa 1930). The Conception Bay Hockey League, which initially featured teams from Bay Roberts and Brigus, was contested between 1931 and 1940. The Herder Memorial Trophy for the Provincial Senior Championship was first awarded in 1935.
Newfoundland joined the International Ice Hockey Federation on February 19, 1933, but was expelled in 1936.
The Newfoundland Amateur Hockey Association (now Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador) did not join the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (Hockey Canada) until 1967. This was the first time teams from the province were eligible to compete for Canadian National championships.
Overview
| Teams |
|---|
| Minor Pro |
| Newfoundland Growlers (2018-) (ECHL) |
| St. John's IceCaps (2011-2017) (AHL) |
| St. John's Maple Leafs (1991-2005) (AHL) |
| Major Junior (QMJHL) |
| St. John's Fog Devils (2005-2008) |
| Leagues |
| Junior A |
| Newfoundland Junior A Hockey League (1971-1976) |
| St. John's Junior Hockey League (1989-1991) |
| Junior B |
| Veitch Memorial Trophy (Junior B Championship) (1953-) |
| St. John's Junior Hockey League (1980-) |
| Central-West Junior Hockey League (2005-2013) |
| Senior |
| Herder Memorial Trophy (Senior Championship) (1935-) |
| St. John's Senior Hockey League (1899-1971) |
| Grand Falls Senior Hockey League (1912-1966) |
| Conception Bay Hockey League (1931-1940) |
| Avalon East Senior Hockey League (1967-) |
| Central-West Senior Hockey League (2014-) |
| West Coast Senior Hockey League (2001-11; 2016-) |
| East Coast Senior Hockey League (2017-) |
League, regional and national championships
| Championship | Times won | Description |
| President's Cup | 0 | Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion |
| Memorial Cup | 0 | Canadian Major-Junior national champion |
| Allan Cup | 3 | Canadian senior national champion |
| Don Johnson Cup | 6 | Atlantic Canada Junior B champion |
| Bolton Cup | 2 | Eastern Canadian senior champion |
| Calder Cup | 0 | American Hockey League champion |
References
| Canadian Provinces | |
 Alberta -  British Columbia -  Manitoba -  Newfoundland and Labrador -  New Brunswick
| |
 Nova Scotia -  Ontario -  Prince Edward Island -  Quebec -  Saskatchewan
| |
Territories:  Northwest Territories -  Nunavut -  Yukon
| |